Opposition to ponder on no-trust strategy tomorrow

As the political temperature rises a few more notches up in the frantic political landscape as uncertainty looms over major developments, the joint opposition has decided to hold a consultative huddle on Monday to chalk out an effective strategy to make its no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan successful.

The key leaders of the opposition parties will meet over dinner at the residence of the Leader of Opposition in National Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif.

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, former president and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, Balochistan National Party (BNP) Sardar Akhtar Mengal and other opposition leaders will be in attendance.

The meeting will formulate a strategy regarding the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan and will review its strategy to peel off allies of the ruling coalition to muster required numerical backing to topple the premier.

Besides, the matter of police raids on Parliament Lodges and the situation after the torture and arrest of MNAs is also expected to come under discussion.

The development comes as rifts within the coalition government emerged on Saturday after Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid and Federal Minister for Water Resources Moonis Elahi traded barbs, with the former accusing the latter's party (PML-Q) of "blackmailing" the government for Punjab's chief minister position in return for support during the opposition's no-trust move against the prime minister.

PM Imran is also expected to meet the PML-Q leadership on Sunday (today).